Real Madrid flying under Ancelotti's orders

The derby was settled in the penalty areas and Madrid won in both. In Atlético's because of the precision of Vinicius with the final pass and because of Benzema and Asensio in their finishes. It’s also important to point out here that, due to Atleti's defence not being what it was, for the first goal, four players were in the area, all positioned where there was no finisher, leaving Benzema all alone; while for the second Hermoso neglected to cover Asensio.

That was in Atlético's penalty box. In Madrid's the winner was Courtois, who said ‘no’ to Atlético several times, especially in the second half, when João Félix started to shine and Atleti pushed on full of strength and belief.

Ancelotti getting the best out of Madrid

Ancelotti has created a Madrid that works against the run of play, a Madrid of patience and counterattacking. He is fully aware that his midfielders lack the strength to press up front and that "Vinicius has a motorbike between his legs.” He has also brought together the team at the back, where he has created a Militao-Alaba pairing that has miraculously made the Varane-Ramos memories disappear, coming out at full speed when an opportunity presents itself.

Madrid never played like this, except in short periods of specific matches. They had instead been much more susceptible to the opposition’s counterattacks. But with this formula Ancelotti is getting the best out of all his starters.

Madrid a given, Barça a concern

So the team is flying in LaLiga and it could be argued that Sunday saw them knock the defending champions out of the title race, a club that have a better squad than in any previous year but that has lost the defensive security that had characterised the Simeone model.

LaLiga is clearly far from over, Sevilla and Betis are both still there, but it already feels that the real interest of this season’s championship is not whether Madrid wins it or not, which many are already taking as a given, but whether Barça will get themselves into the top four. Watching their game yesterday, one has to agree with Xavi: those at the required level are the new kids. They are awaiting the rest.